Minimally Invasive Surgery

Depending on your condition, minimally invasive surgery from the skilled providers at Ballad Health may be right for you. If you’re a candidate for a less-invasive surgical procedure, you’re more likely to heal faster and experience less pain. That means you can get back to the activities you love sooner.

What is minimally invasive surgery?

Minimally invasive surgery uses small or no incisions (cuts in the skin) and tiny surgical tools to treat certain health conditions. Ask your doctor about techniques such as:

• Robotic-assisted surgery
• Endoscopic surgery – Also known as laparoscopic, thoracoscopic or keyhole surgery

How you benefit

Heal faster after a minimally invasive surgical procedure. Benefits also can include:

• Less scarring
• A shorter hospital stay
• Less blood loss
• Less pain
• Lower risk of infections

Robotic-assisted surgery

Robotic-assisted surgery gives your Ballad Health surgeons precision tools to perform delicate procedures for parts of the body that may be hard to reach. Ballad Health surgeons throughout the Tri-Cities use the da Vinci® surgical robot to perform surgery through small incisions.

During robotic-assisted surgery, your surgeon may use special imaging services to more easily spot healthy versus non-healthy tissue. Some surgeons also perform vessel sealing, a special technique that uses fewer stitches to help you heal faster with a lower risk of infection and bleeding. Johnson City Medical Center is one of a handful of hospitals in the U.S. to provide vessel sealing.

Endoscopic surgery

Endoscopic surgery is done with a long, thin tube with a tiny camera at the end to see inside your body. During the procedure, the surgeons view large, clear images on screens in the operating room and use miniature surgical tools to treat your condition.

What type of surgery is right for me?

Only you and your doctor can decide if a specific surgery is right for you. Ask about the risks and benefits of minimally invasive, endoscopic or traditional (open) methods of surgery. Learn more about these and other types of surgery.